The Toyota Yaris is the Japanese carmaker’s entry to the local compact hatch segment. Thanks to its sporty looks, youthful vibe, and modern appeal, the supermini has always been one of the top choices for young car buyers — and those who are young at heart.

In 2020, Toyota introduced the GR Yaris, a homologation model of the Toyota Yaris rally car donning the Gazoo Racing branding. The Toyota GR Yaris was introduced in the Philippine market the following year, allowing Filipinos to experience the spirit of waku doki (heart pumping, adrenaline racing).

It would be unfair to pick one model from the other as clearly one was designed to be a city slicker while the other a rally car for the road. That said, we won’t call any winners for this matchup, but simply point out some of their similarities and differences.

Exterior

	Toyota Yaris	Toyota GR Yaris
Dimensions (L x W x H mm)	4,140 x 1,730 x 1,500	3,995 x 1,805 x 1,455
Wheelbase (mm)	2,550	2,560
Ground clearance (mm)	140	124

With both cars standing side by side, you’d see that both Yaris models have already figured out their priorities.

The refreshed conventional hatch is longer and taller compared to the GR model. It also has a noticeable higher ground clearance for gliding over those potholes and road bumps. At the front of the new range-topping Yaris are three-tier LED headlamps with LED DRLs and LED fog lamps. At the back is a similar lighting setup with LED rear combination lamps. It rides on 18-inch alloy wheels.

Likewise, the locally available GR Yaris comes with a three-tier LED headlamp setup with LED DRLs and with manual leveling function. It also sports a pair of LED fog lamps and LED clearance lamps at the front. The rear end is decked with LED rear combination lamps LED rear frog lamps. And oh, it’s fitted with a carbon-fiber roof. Nice!

It also rides on 18-inch wheels but it wears BBS forged alloys for kicks.

Interior

Inside, the standard Yaris comes with either fabric or synthetic leather seats and a urethane or leather steering wheel. The higher variant gets paddle shifters, by the way. It also has an Optitron meter cluster, a segmented multi-information display, plus a 6.5-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay Android Auto, and Smart Device Link connectivity.

The souped-up GR Yaris, on the other hand, offers seats wrapped with a combination of suede and synthetic leather, a leather steering wheel, and a leather shift lever and knob. Past the grippy steering wheel is a 4.2-inch TFT multi-informational instrument cluster that sits alongside a larger 6.9-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SDL, and Miracast connectivity. It also features voice command, just in case you want to feel like you have a co-driver.

Engine

The Toyota Yaris can be had in either a thrifty 1.3-liter engine or a capable 1.5-liter mill. Either way, both engines will be mated to a CVT with the former producing around 98hp while the latter generates around 106hp.

Conversely, the GR version of the Yaris is fitted with a 1.6-liter power plant mated to a six-speed manual tranny. This powertrain setup gives the GR Yaris 257 angry horses with an almost instantaneous torque of 360Nm.

Safety

In terms of safety, the stock Yaris comes with a slew of airbags (driver, front passenger, side, curtain shield, and knee), a set of seatbelts, ABS with brake assist and EBD, vehicle stability control, hill-start assist control, Isofix tethers, a childproof rear door, plus an alarm with an immobilizer.

Meanwhile, the GR Yaris comes with a more sophisticated safety setup. It offers a similar airbag setup, a slew of seatbelts, ABS with brake assist, vehicle stability control, hill-start assist control, a limited-slip differential with front and rear Torsen, Isofix tethers, and an immobilizer with horn.

It also has a pre-collision system, automatic high beam, lane tracing assist, and adaptive cruise control.

Pricing and Variants

Toyota Yaris

Yaris 1.3 CVT – P973,000
Yaris 1.5 CVT – P1,114,000

Toyota GR Yaris

GR Yaris – P2,740,000

Photos from Toyota

Also read: 

2020 Toyota Yaris: Pros and cons

Here comes excitement: Toyota GR Yaris to be available soon

Tenacious two: The two variants of the Toyota Yaris